A blog following the Texas Rangers and their players, season, and off-season moves.

We all know that the Rangers have the best left side of the infield in all of baseball, and we all know that Adrian Beltre has a lot to do with that. Beltre came to the Rangers during the off season in 2011 and replaced Michael Young at third base. We all remember the controversy that followed when Rangers fans thought they were going to see Michael Young in a Rockies uniform or at least not i a Rangers uniform. But it could not have worked out better than it did (unless the Rangers get one more strike in game 6). Young went on to be the greatest DH/Utility infielder the Rangers have probably ever seen, and Beltre and Andrus looked amazing playing together…read more here…

Elvis Andrus had a good season at short stop in 2011, and I see no reason why he is not going to improve on that in 2012. He showed us more power than we had seen from him the previous seasons, and he also seems to really relish the role of batter no. 2 in the order. In 2010, in the no. 1 spot in the batting order, he batted .265 with 0 home runs and 35 RBI’s in 148 games. He stole 32 bases, struck out 96 times. In 2011, in the no. 2 hole for most of the season, he batted .279 with 5 home runs and 60 RBI’s in 150 games. He stole 37 bases and struck out just 74 times…read more here…

We all know that Ian Kinsler is the second baseman for the Texas Rangers, right? We also know that Kinsler played injury free for the first time in his professional career in 2011. He got into 155 games in 2011, his previous high was 144 in 2009. Ian is going to be a part of that SS/2B tandem that the Rangers are going to have for a very long time, I believe…read more here…

There was a lot of talk about first base over the course of the off season. There was a little talk about Pujlos, a whole lot of talk about Prince Fielder, and then just a very little bit of talk about the Rangers actual starting first baseman, Mitch Moreland. After many tries with the minor league stud turned major league strikeout king Chris Davis, the Rangers finally traded him last season when it appeared that Mitch was ready to be the Rangers everyday first baseman…read more here…

The Rangers are going to have a different no. 1 catcher this season than they had at the start of last season. In 2011 the starting catcher was Yorvit Torrealba, but by the end of the season it was Mike Napoli. And, as we all remember and probably still all want to forget, Mike would have been the World Series MVP had game 6 turned out a little differently…read more here…

Now, keep in mind that this is going to change as Spring Training starts (which by the way is in 2 short weeks), but here is the bull pen we have right now that I believe will start as the Rangers pen.I think the Rangers have some trades to make during spring training, so I expect this to change…read more here…

The number 5 starter spot should be very intersting this season. Neftali is going to be the number 5 starter, in my opinion. Some people project him as the number three or number four guy, but I like the way I have it! Neftali was a all-star closer in 2010, and he was one strike away from winning the World Series in 2011. Neftali has been a starter before, in the minor leagues…read more here…

Matt Harrison had a great season in 2011. A really great season. Matt has struggled to stay healthy and therefore to remain in the rotation in the past (2008 -2009 he only started 26 games). He also had a pretty high ERA in his first 3 seasons with the Rangers (5.44). In 2011, however, he became a good pitcher. He was at the back end of the rotation and did not get as much attention as a Derek Holland or a C.J. Wilson, but if you look at his numbers compared to both those guys…read more here…

Okay, we all know Yu Darvish is supposed to be the Rangers savior, right?Everyone has written, talked, and some have even sung about him. He is supposed to come into Texas and get 25 wins, strikeout 300, and walk 3. Well, that is not going to happen, and I think if we are counting on Darvish to be the Rangers best pitcher in 2012, we will be sorely disappointed. Now don’t get me wrong, I am very excited about having Darvish here in Texas, but there is a reason that I am projecting him as the number three starter going into spring training. As previously discussed, Lewis has earned the number one spot, and I truly believe that Holland will be the number 2 starter…read more here…

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